Reduction in Japan's Under-15 Population Significantly Declines
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Japan's Child Population Hits Historic Low
The number of young'uns under 15 in Japan has dropped to an all-time low, as reported by RIA Novosti from a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications document. This happening ahead of Children's Day, when there were approximately 13.7 million little ones, down by 350,000 from the year before.
Kids now represent 11.1% of Japan's total population of 124 million. According to a UN ranking of countries with populations over 40 million, Japan ranks second to last, only edged out by South Korea, where children make up 10.6% of the population.
The Japanese government has initiated various strategies to foster larger families, such as increasing family allowances and offering expanded parental leave options, including for dads. But, alas, these attempts haven't paid off.
January brought news of China's population decrease by 1.39 million in 2023 compared to the previous year. By the end of 2024, China's population was 1.4 billion, with roughly 105 men for every 100 ladies.
By December 26, 2023, The Financial Times disclosed that Chinese authorities had intensified their campaign to boost childbirth.
Prior reports indicated that the number of abortions in Vologda Oblast decreased by 13 times.
Low Birth Rates, Changing Aussies
Why the dip in Japan's child population? A myriad of factors plays a part. These include fragile job security, shifting cultural values, sky-high cost of living, aging population, and a divide between urban and rural areas. All these factors culminate to dampen family formation and drive down birth rates [1][5].
The Japanese government has tackled these issues with various initiatives, like work-life balance strategies, dating initiatives, regional revitalization policies, and childcare subsidies [4][5]. However, despite these efforts, the nation's fertility rate remains low, and it's a rough row to hoe to change that trend [1][3].
Do you need more info on Japan's population woes? Hit me up, and I'll be happy to help!
Sources
[1] Aging and the Labor Market in Japan (Link)[2] Japan's Child Population Hits Record Low (Link)[3] Japan's Child Population Continues to Shrink (Link)[4] Japan's Measures to Boost Birth Rates Explained (Link)[5] What's Behind Japan's Low Birth Rates (Link)
- Japan's politics are grappling with the effective implementation of strategies to increase the population, particularly the number of children, as the child population recently reached an all-time low.
- Despite Japan having a total population of 124 million, children under 15 years old comprise only 11.1% of this figure, reflecting a general news issue that the country faces.
- The ratio of children to the general population in Japan is lower than its neighbor South Korea, where children represent 10.6% of the population.
- As Japan's child population continues to decline due to factors such as fragile job security, high cost of living, and shifting cultural values, it's challenging to reverse the trend despite various government initiatives.
